Editorial: Slip in rankings

It is disconcerting that India’s standing in the higher education sector remains poor despite being a ‘Vishwaguru’

Despite the boastful claims of being a ‘Vishwaguru’, India’s standing in the higher education sector remains poor. A drastic overhaul of the education system is needed to bring it on par with global standards. The urgency of this task is once again highlighted by the latest rankings of universities across the world. None of the Indian universities figures in the global top 100 institutions in the QS World University Rankings 2024, released recently. Barring a few bright spots, the country’s position in the global higher education sector has nothing much to cheer about. Only IIT Bombay has been able to improve its ranking — from 172 last year to 149 now — while several IITs have gone down in their positions. More importantly, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, has slipped from 155th rank last year to 225th now. The report shows that India’s presence in the top 500 category is largely IIT-driven. While the University of Delhi (ranked 407th) and Anna University (427th) have entered the top-500 tier, the situation is largely bleak as most other so-called prestigious institutes and universities have slipped in the QS rankings. In all, 45 Indian universities find a place in the latest rankings that feature 1,500 institutions around the world. The shift in positions could be attributed to a reset in the methodology applied in this QS edition, which introduced Sustainability, Employment Outcomes and International Research Network in the assessment criteria.

It is disconcerting that most of the universities have not seen any improvement in their rankings. Rather, they have diminished in eminence even in other surveys, such as the Education Ministry’s NIRF rankings. With hardly any improvement in the country’s standing over the years, it is time policymakers did some serious introspection on the initiatives needed to improve academic and research standards in our universities. Though India has over 1,000 universities, including central, State, deemed, private universities and Institutes of National Importance, the academic and research standards are not up to the international standards. While the desired levels of research and internationalisation of Indian campuses remain weak points, the higher education sector also suffers from funds crunch, and its largely linear model with little focus on specialisation and innovation. It must find ways of increasing teaching capacity and attracting more talented students and faculty from across the world to study in India to improve its global standing. Educational experts have been calling for a drastic overhaul of the system to bring it on par with global standards. There are a few pockets of excellence that need to be nurtured. There is also a need to increase the budgetary allocation for higher education. The Union Cabinet’s approval for the National Research Foundation (NRF) is a good start to the efforts to arrest the slide in the quality of higher education in India.

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